Watching this again and was struck by the use of reds and greens throughout the movie. Red is the exact opposite of green, so maybe it's symbolic of things not being what they appear in the movie. We think it's a supernatural thriller, but it turns into a murder mystery. We think it's a love story, but it's actually about obsession and infatuation. Red is passion and violence, green is peace and calm. Red is go, green is stop.
What do you think?
I also loved the use colors, I don't know what they mean exactly. Maybe green represents death. Some of it was used simply for their visual stimulation factor. For instance, when Kim Novak first appears, she's in a room that is entirely red and she is dressed in green. Red and green are complementary colors so this creates a very stimulating image. Other than that, I don't know.
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I didn't think about stop and go! Very good.
Madeleine was unattainable, so green is her color. Also, isn't her car a cool green color? This is obvious, but red represents passion, the beating heart, so Scotty's ardor for Madeleine begins in that red restaurant room. I love the way Hitchcock shoots parallel profile close-ups of Scotty and Madeleine as she leaves the restaurant. They start to feel eerily connected. And the music is ethereal and romantic.
The Ernie's Restaurant scenes were filmed on a set, an exact replica of the actual Ernie's. The name amuses me. It's so down to earth. Ernie's. Shouldn't it be Maxim's or something French, like "Gigi's Joint"?
I'm watching Vertigo now on Sundance TV. Sundance has been running Hitchcock films for Memorial Day weekend. What a treat: Beats old war films on TCM.